Flamingo Campground — Everglades National Park

Flamingo in the Everglades: Open parklike with new and what are the absolute largest of campsite signs I have seen in 5 years of traveling. No excuse to be in the wrong site at Flamingo! I had to laugh and wonder that if they are that big, blind drivers must be frequenting Flamingo. On a serious note, the brand new visitor center is a 5 star. Spending time there will not be regretted,. (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good

(70 yr olds in 17’ trailer. Our rating of a campground is influenced by the following: The general ambiance- sort of wilderness feel the campground gives us. A selection of campsites which offer some visual privacy and/or view from sites. Cleanliness of whatever facilities are offered is important and usually noted in my review.

Overall Rating: 3.5 Price 2023: $ 34 w interagency pass Usage during visit: 1/2 full Site Privacy: Poor Site Spacing: Fair Site surface: Blacktop Reservations: Yes Campground Noise: Not bad for an open area Road Noise: No outside road noise Through Traffic in campground: None Electric Hookup: Many sites Sewer Hookup: No Dump Station: Yes Potable Water Available: Yes Generators: Allowed Bathroom: Flush toilets.
Showers: Solar. Water temperature depends on sunshine, time of day, usage , and the length showers folks take.
Pull Throughs: All Cell Service (AT&T): 4 bars Setting: Open park like with scattered mature trees Recent Weather: The weather has really varied this year. Hot, cod, cloudy, windy, rainy. Solar: Yes Host: Paid personnel Rig Size: The largest of rigs can be accommodated here Sites: Last loop is best

The store by the marina is well stocked and the marina itself is pretty big though we did not use it. The sites are cozy and pretty close together and the bathrooms were well kept. The water in the showers gets about lukewarm. There’s a little beach nearby too. We were able to buy firewood at the site and help was easy to find if it was needed.

Loved the campground. I stayed during the week and it was mostly quiet. This is the place to be if you like to fish, kayak or want to be alone.. I can’t say enough about the fishing. Many Crocodiles. The 1.5 hour boat tours are both well worth the 35$. Make sure you ask for a site with shade‼️

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Flamingo Eco-tents. We appreciated being able to camp without brining in the typical supplies since we were visiting from out of state - the tent includes your bedding, towels, etc. 

Even in January bugs were intense as soon as the sun went down - don't plan to sit around a campfire here, even doused in bug spray. Instead, eat an early dinner and then head back to your tent for sunset. 

When booking, request a bay side tent (7,8,13,14,17,18) to have an uninterrupted water front view from your porch.

This is one of three options to "camp" in this part of Everglades National Park (the other two are RV sites and a large grassy area for tent camping (only open during the winter months). The 20 Eco tents provide a change of pace to regular camping, and they are nicely appointed, but they are a bit of a splurge (over$100 with tax). 

Each tent has full deck flooring and comes equipped with a double or queen bed with bedding (November– April only), a fan, 110 outlets, towels, two chairs/small round tables, and shelving with baskets. You can enjoy at least a partial view of Florida Bay from each tent.

The Eco tents have their own “private” bathroom/shower separate from the public restroom and it was clean. Unlike the bathrooms at Long Pine Key campground, there is a handicap-accessible stall. Towels are provided in the tents. 

Cooking or food of ANY KIND is not allowed in the tents as it would attract bugs and other wildlife. There are picnic tables/fire pits by the parking lot for cooking/eating but it was very windy when we arrived, so we just ate cold food in our van. All food must stay in your vehicle. You are also not allowed to use bug spray in the tent due to the flammable nature of the spray. Other rules include no music in the campground or tents. 

We were there shortly before the winter season so there were not as many options for recreation available. There are hiking trails and you can rent canoes or kayaks. Other boat tours are available, but we didn’t take advantage of any of these, preferring instead to take photos of birds and walk the short Anhinga Trail (closer to the northern entrance to the park). 

Both the sunsets and the sunrises are spectacular (if you can stand the mosquito assault!)

The sites are bare and very close together, so no privacy. Also, cannot choose site, so I was stuck next to the very loud bathroom, I could hear the toilet seats and hand dryers going. Kindof took away from the camping experience. Ended up switching my reservations to the walk in camping as there was no one there, plus it’s right on the water. Much better!

We booked a site, but stayed in the walk-in field on the water instead. It was so pretty and we grabbed a picnic table and got water and charged phones in the bathroom. We had paid to park our car at the first campsite and loaded up our bikes and did an out and back bike tour to this site! A great 35 mile overnight practice ride!

This was an amazing spot to camp with my bestie. My only complaint was that the mosquitos are HUGEEE and swarm at night and will eat you alive so prepare! Kayaking was beautiful on the ocean and also on the river but there are alligators and salt water crocs! A very memorable experience! Would go back!

There aren’t that many big open fields on the water in the USA for tent camping. Lots of fun, easy to meet people, and chill atmosphere. I slept in my car in the parking lot and they had no problem with that, BUT the mosquitoes were intense. Even the campfire and wind didn’t stop them.

I camped two nights in January 2022 in the A-loop for tents. Plenty of space between sites. Even though it was January, mosquitoes could not be ignored. Once I applied bug spray they didn’t bother me again. My site was unshaded, but others had shade trees. Wasn’t a big deal in January (plus I wasn’t around the camp during the day) but being in the direct sun would be miserable in summer. Bathrooms were clean and plentiful. Stargazing was excellent. Small convenience store about .5 mile away. Quiet hours started at 10 pm, but the area was pretty quiet much earlier. Pretty much by sundown.

Down at Flamingo, there’s four types of camping: eco tents, tents (A Loop), campers/ RVs (T Loop) and the backcountry chickees. This review is for the ✨A Loop Tent Camping.✨

I happened to be down here on a weekend of a full moon, so my thoughts on tent camping in Flamingo might be a bit skewed because that night sky was IMPRESSIVE.

There’s not much by way of privacy on A Loop, but I personally didn’t mind. I had a corner site near a bathroom and even despite that, the evenings were still pretty quiet.

The bathroom was in clean condition and had plenty of stalls. No showers or potable water down this way though!

Bring plenty of mosquito repellent or a thermacell because the bugs take no prisoners down there!

Down at Flamingo, there’s four types of camping: eco tents, tents (A Loop), campers/ RVs (T Loop) and the backcountry chickees. This review is for the ✨eco tents✨.

The eco tents are awesome in general, but more so if you’re new to camping. Some come fully furnished with beds, nightstands, etc, while others are completely unfurnished and you can set up your own gear, so you choose your level of comfort. They also come with electric fans.

It’s incredibly quiet down there and the full moons are outta this world - no pun intended! 😉 Waking up and drinking your coffee on the shore of Florida Bay is a great way to start the day.

But there is no food allowed in the tents whatsoever. Because the walkways to and the platforms of the eco tents are elevated, there’s also no way to cook even near your eco tent. There are fire rings and picnic tables near the parking area, which is also where the bathrooms are. So if you’re someone who wakes often in the middle of the night for “bio breaks”, you might want to keep that walk in mind - or plan for an alternative.

There are bathrooms with running (non potable) water and toilets with real plumbing, but no showers.

I’d definitely recommend the eco tents for a short stay!

Stayed at the T loop campground. Arrived late at night around 10 pm. We reserved a spot without hookups, big mistake, too hot to sleep and somehow mosquitos made their way inside. Next morning I called to switch spots and the kiosk switched us no problem. Very helpful and friendly staff. Both spots we stayed at are fairly even, and they are all pull through sites with hard compact dirt. We’re we’re able to easily fit our 35ft coachmen plus the car we are towing. Two bathroom facilities, one of which was locked ( I think due to the fact there were only 4 other campers here) bathroom and showers are old but they work. My only issue is the relentless and vicious attack of mosquitos 24/7. Would definitely stay again.

Originally I was over in the Trailer loop but was able to relocate to the tent camping loop.

Site #53 was a winner with a nice big tree for plenty of afternoon shade.

Nice bathroom with solar heated showers centrally located in the loop.

Also within walking distance of a beach area and the trailhead for the Coastal Prairie trail (~12 miles round trip).

Mosquitoes were on the cusp of being pretty bad, but as long as you layered up and light a fire a little before dusk, they weren't unbearable.

Quick drive over to the marina to restock on food, firewood, ice, and other supplies.

Also highly recommend taking a boat tour up the canal and checking out manatees in the bay!

Went four times between January an February and it was always beautiful. People have the misconception that the Everglades is just a huge swamp. It is not. Flamingo campground has a few trails around the trail that allow anyone to be absorbed by the depth of nature. The walk in cite has a beautiful green plain with a bunch of nicely separated fire pits and benches ant the “A loop” has each individual cite a little closer to each other but the trees allow for a little sense of privacy (and shade).

Highly recommended

We were able to get a site with electricity. Not all of them do. The campground doesn’t have hot water in their bathrooms. Visiting the park was a neat experience. We saw manatee, osprey and a crocodile. Ultimately we shortened our trip and only stayed one night instead of two. It is really far away from everything! The Visitor Center is still closed for renovations but they hope to be open in the fall.

Spent three days fishing and using the camper as a base camp. Caught tons of mangrove snapper, snook, and even a tripletail. Been going to Flamingo for years to fish but this was the first time taking the trailer. Would definitely do it again. 50 amp hookup worked great. Just wish they had running water to the trailer so you don’t have to refill the tank. Great experience as long as your going fishing. Not too many other things to do in the Florida heat.

Flamingo is right inside the national park and is the only center with services available in the park; marina, food and convenience store, rental equipment, boat tours with park naturalist, food truck, and a pricy gas pump for emergencies. 

Once you’re all the way down to Flamingo, you’re 50 miles away from nearest town, so bring everything you need that you wouldn't normally find at a convenience store. 

Nice array of overnight options: tent camping, new canvas eco tents with electricity, camper sites and even 6-person houseboats to rent (next time!).

I found one of the eco tents that had just been converted to off season (April-November), meaning no furniture except a fan and a large lantern. Bedding etc. is all removed for rainy summertime to avoid mold. Also means you pay $50 instead of $99, great deal! Bring air mattress and camp chairs and you’re good!

Loved the experience, with 3 sides of the tent being screens – can be completely opened or covered for privacy. Woke up to a gale blowing in from the water, felt partially like being on safari and partially like staying on a boat.

Things to know:

Try for waterfront tents 3,4 5, 6, 7 or 8. 

No eating or drinking inside the tents - they’re spotless but food remnants would quickly draw bugs in this climate. There are shared tables and fire pits for guests.

Food-wise, the food truck is OK for lunch but next Time I’d pack pre-made dinner and use the store’s microwave to heat it up. Options for anything healthy at the marina store are pretty scant. But... they do have lots of Haagen Dazs flavors for dessert! 

To solve for morning coffee, I’d pack my electric kettle and a french press or pour over next time, & drink it out on the tent deck. Coffee in store not recommended.

And bring your bike, kayak or board, and trail runners. All possible right from the campsite! Luckily I had all 3 :)

Definitely an experience not to miss - and every single person on staff at Flamingo was super friendly and full of great info and tips.

We stayed at this campground the week before spring break and during the week it was nIce and quiet. There was no hot water so showers were very quick. We took our bikes and had some nice rides. We rented a kayak for a few hours and kayaked down the canal but stopped at coots bay as it was very windy. A manatee swam right under our kayak! We also took the boat tour and learned a lot, especially about the trees,history and wildlife. We saw the nest osprey with the adults feeding the babies. The last night we were there the unruly spring break crowd came in and partied all night. The camp host did nothing. They left a big mess in the bathrooms. Also the day before we were to arrive we got a cancellation email so I had to call to fix that error, we had not cancelled. There is a lot of construction as a result of hurricanes and many of the trails are not maintained. We saw huge crocodiles and many bird species.

After some of the reviews we read here, we had some trepidation. Much of the ‘cons’ that other people experienced, we did not. We stayed in T loop since we wanted electrical hookup. This loop is designed for RVs and travel trailers, electric hookups at each site, but you needed to fill your water tanks from the spigot at the bathrooms. There is a dump station to make your deposit on the way out. Sites are all pull-thru and very level. Each site has a fire ring with grate, and a picnic table (very heavy and hard to move). There is a smattering of trees throughout, but not enough to offer much shade. There is a good amount of space between sites so you are not crammed in like sardines, which we have experienced at other National park campgrounds.

At this particular time of year, we experienced little to no bugs and there was a constant slight sea breeze which helped to make it feel a bit cooler. We were here the second week of February and it was plenty hot (80s) and humid for us northerners. The area we were in was very quiet, mostly us “older” folks. Very peaceful here at night, and a great location for stargazing since the campground has very few lights. Some previous reviews mentioned pesky vultures, we never saw any. I can’t speak to the conditions of the bathrooms in this loop as we had our own and didn’t need to visit them. Bring your bikes, fishing gear and kayaks as those seem to be the major activities here. It’s long way from major stores, so be sure to bring whatever supplies you might need. The store at the marina has some basics, but you won’t want to buy many groceries there.

Glad we went, but now that we’ve been there, probably won’t feel the need to go back, but it’s a nice place to get to at least once!

We did not have enough time to do everything we would have liked. Flamingo Adventures is about as far away as you can get from the rat race. They have eco tents, dry camping and hook ups. You can camp in the open grassy tent field by the bay, or in one of the campgrounds with hook ups for RVs. When the FHU sites fill there are still lots of dry sites available. They have clean bathrooms with showers. Some have solar heated water and some don’t. We stayed in the dry area and heard a lot of generator noise but most were considerate. The marina and store are an easy bike ride along a path that follows the waterfront. Manatee activities are in the canal and marina. There are many side trips along the very long ride from the visitors center at the entrance to Everglades National Park to Flamingo. They were working on many new and updated amenities: visitor center, conference center and lodging. Crocodiles can be seen in and around marina. Many friendly people everywhere; staff, rangers and visitors.

If you want to experience the Everglades, this is a great campground to do it from. Located deep into the park, you are surrounded by the beauty of the “river of grass” and of all that nature has to offer in this incredible place! The rangers are very helpful.

I’ll admit, based on the size and the bugs I had really, really low expectations. Our trip was in January. We stayed here because we were leaving on a backcountry kayak trip the next day and this was the closest site to the launching point. We stayed in the dispersed tent field, which was spacious if not at all private. I really thought the bugs would be awful, but they were just slightly annoying. Decent bathrooms, cool water showers. We felt safe. Not a dream destination, but did the trick.

Flamingo Campground, Florida Everglades—eco-tent

Pro: The location is superb. Ours was located closest to the water(#6). You don’t get to choose—assigned when you check in. There was a lovely breeze each afternoon and very few mosquitoes. Egrets and Anhingas were in abundance. Our eco-tent was equipped with a queen size bed, pillows, bed linens, blankets, fluffy large bath towels, a fan and bedside lights. The towels were a pleasant surprise because I had specifically asked about towels and was told “no.” The tents are located on boardwalks with embedded lights to the bathroom building (it can be a fair walk from your tent) so you can see your way there at night. There is an electrical outlet box with one spare outlet. We brought a surge protector with additional outlets so we could charge electronics and toothbrushes. Several people we met rented empty eco-tents for $50 (no beds, lights, etc) a night.

Con: a solar panel was broken wide open with water flowing out onto the ground so there was no warm water at all in the showers. The bathrooms are adequate but old and tired—cleaned once daily. Only one shower in the ladies room was working. For the price, a decent bathroom would be anticipated. There is an electrical outlet near the sinks which seemed to be constantly in use by a crockpot. (Despite a sign on the boardwalk saying for eco-tents only, this bathroom and the nearby picnic tables were heavily used by tent campers.) There are two dish washing stations at the bathroom building—faucets were not sealed and so water ran out the sides splashing on the backsplash. There are no water spigots so if you need water, you must use the dish washing faucet (the water is potable but for drinking, you might want to bring in your own as it has a salty taste). Maintenance certainly could be improved.

Eco-tent residents must use tables and fire pits close to the parking lot which are not very close. No food is allowed in the tents. There are no lights around the picnic tables so if you are cooking after dark, be sure you’ve planned for that. Also know that you cannot leave unaccompanied food at the picnic tables or the Anhingas will be feasting with abandon.

The food truck was open at the Marina. It had been closed due to hurricane damage. Because of the long new year’s weekend, the shop had no ice, no firewood and only minimal supplies like snacks and beer—lots of empty shelves and coolers. We received an email just before arriving telling us that there was no ice or wood due to the holiday long weekend so we needed to get them before arriving. We had planned to bring all our food which was a good thing given the lack of items at the store. With a 38 mile drive from the Coe entrance center to the campground and another 45 minutes to Homestead, you don’t want to have to go back to Homestead for supplies!

No internet or phone service (other than AT&T). Was wonderful to escape!!

NO PHONE SERVICE, NO WI-FI.  Good luck in an emergency or if you work virtual.  And there is NO privacy at any of the sites--totally wide open area, no vegetation.  NOT worth the drive down there.

We stayed here a night before launching our kayaks out to the more remote backcountry stuff. All of your basic amenities and hella skeeters as you'd expect in South Florida.

It is a big open field, so don't expect visual privacy.

Great place with water access and lots ground to wonder and enjoy. Good fishing. Be careful with the elephant mosquitos in the summer.

This camp site is in such a fantastic area of the Everglades National Park. You have a great facility with bathrooms, running water and showers. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets everyday, with the ocean breezes and waves crashing on the rocks. Several wildlife to observe and photograph. The whole family enjoyed this camp site my daughters ages 7 and 11 both enjoyed themselves. We can’t wait to go back and enjoy nature!

If you want to get to a spot with the LEAST light pollution of anywhere in America, this is the place! You are able to see 3x the stars you can normally see anywhere else in America. This is a very remote location so be sure to bring what you need in with you and be sure to gas up before you come from Homestead. It is an hour at least from civilization. The campgrounds are well taken care of. One of my favorite campsites to escape everyone and everything. The showers could be updated but not terrible to be so far off of the beaten path. I would definitely recommend this campsite and would come back.

We stayed here for 4 nights in site # T10 had water & electric. Big site with some shade got there ion the heat of the day so we parked knowing where the shade was. You do need a screen room to keep bugs out and a good fan in the screened room helps.  It was Halloween so we had some decorations with us, ghosts, witches and more which some of them blew in the wind & helped keep the Vultures off our truck.

Right before the campground is the eco pond which is amazing if you like birds. We saw, Roseate Spoonbills, Egrets, Blue Herons, white Pelicans, and more. We just missed  Scarlet Ibis and the Flamingos there were a few a week before we got there. 

There was hardly anybody camping there maybe 4 others and the camp host which she was very helpful. 

Kayaking on the outside is a little scary we saw a Alligator (no big deal) yet a Crocodile, and a bull shark all within 10 minutes.  Did the inside the next day it was pretty, lots of air plants, birds, gators & manatees.  The Tarpon at the marina were cool to watch them roll. 

We were so lucky there was a dark sky photographer there with 2 big Telescopes. He put black bags over all the lite boxes in the campsites to darken it up. Jim Pickering has amazing photos he took. The sky didn't clear up till 3 AM so we didn't get to take a look but amazing photos. He goes to different parks during a new moon when it's the darkest out sometimes has others like him camping they set up and let people look though the telescopes.